Furniture slip cover



Jan. 14, 1964 MEDNICK FURNITURE SLIP COVER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 11. 1961 INVENTOR.

L E O M E D N I C K ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 14, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 11, 1961 N F 4 5 a 1 4 O 2 5 6 5 6 4 6 8 O 6 m 2 3 (5 2 4 5 3 6 w III! o 4 7 O 2 5 5 a 7 1 m ..r 4

3 2 7 4 m 6 MU Y 7 4 6 K C m: MN D E M O E A TTORIVEYS.

Jan. 14, 1964 MEDNICK I 3,117,817

FURNITURE SLIP COVER Filed Dec. 11, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

LEO MEDNICK A TTOR/VEYS.

Jan. 14, 1964 L. MEDNICK 3,117,817

FURNITURE SLIP COVER Filed Dec. 11, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

LEO MEDNICK A T TORNEYS.

Jan. 14, 1964 1.. MEDNICK 3,117,817

FURNITURE SLIP COVER Filed Dec. 11, 1961 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 LEO MEDNI C K ATTORNEYS.

2-7 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,117,817 FURNITURE SLIP COVER Leo Mednick, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Lincoln Textile Products (30., Inc., Boston, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Dec. 11, 1961, Ser. No. 158,448 6 Claims. (Cl. 297-424) This invention relates to a novel improvement in furniture slip covers. More particularly it relates to a stretchable slip cover which can be quickly and easily attached to and detached from a chair or sofa.

The stretchable slip covers of this invention can be used to fit snugly on any one of a number of articles of furniture of the same type, but differing in size or style.

It has been known in the past to provide slip covers which were stretchable and could readily be attached to cover any one of similar articles of furniture. These prior slip covers have generally been made from a knitted fabric. This knitted fabric was used because of its stretching characteristics. However, the knitted fabrics suffered from many disadvantages. They were generally porous in nature and when used in connection with large pieces of furniture it was sometimes possible to see right through the fabric. Furthermore, the knitted fabrics generally were not durable in that they were prone to tearing, stretching and readily wemlng out. For the most part a knitted fabric can only stretch easily in one direction and when the fabrics were stretched to too great an extent, they became distorted and did not return to their original shape.

Another problem with the stretchable slip covers previously used was that there was no means of permanently securing a rufile or skirt to the bottom of the cover prior to the installation of the cover. After placing the cover on the upholstered piece of furniture it then became necessary to sew the skirt to the cover or to apply the skirt by means of metal hooks.

The slip covers of this invention provide a distinct advantage over the so-called custom-made slip covers. In the custom-made covers a non-stretchable fabric is cut to the exact size of the upholstered furniture and then is made into a slip cover with a zipper in the back to allow for easy installation. However, a tendency to stretch a custom-made slip cover, as when sitting in the upholstered furniture, would cause the fabric to pull at the seams since the slip cover fabric itself was not stretchable.

In the instant invention, any stretching of the cover caused by sitting is taken up by the stretchability of the cover fabric, and there is no wear on the seams.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel furniture slip cover.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a slip cover that is relatively non-porous.

It is yet a further object of this invention to provide a slip cover that does not wrinkle in use.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a onepiece slip cover that requires no tacking or metal parts to secure it in place.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a washable slip cover that requires no ironing prior to use.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a slip cover which is readily stretchable in two directions.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel means for securing a slip cover to a chair.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a novel stretchable cover for the cushion of an upholstered chair or sofa.

In one aspect of this invention these and other objects are accomplished by providing a furniture slip cover comprising a back portion, arm portions, and a seat portion,

said furniture slip cover being made from a woven fabric comprising a major portion of non-elastic yarn and a minor portion of elastic thread wrapped with a nonelastic yarn.

In another aspect of the invention I provide a furniture slip cover comprising a back portion, arm portions and a seat portion with a skirt secured to the lower perimeter of said slip cover, said skirt having two ends thereof separated in the rear portion of said slip cover, a first pair of tapes secured to said skirt along the junction of said slip cover and said skirt, said first pair of tapes being located on the interior surface of the arm portions of said slip cover, and a second pair of tapes being secured to the junction of said skirt and the rear portion of said slip cover adjacent the open ends of said skirt, said skirt having a plurality of openings along the junction line of said skirt and said rear portion of said slip cover whereby the fit of the slip cover can be adjusted by appropriate tying of said tapes to provide a smooth, wrinkle-free appearance.

In yet another aspect of this invention I provide a slip cover for a cushion comprising a stretchable fabric, said slip cover including a top portion, a bottom portion and a side portion which laterally spaces the top and bottom portions, said slip cover being openable at the rear there of and along a portion of two sides thereof, said bottom portion having an upwardly and inwardly extending lip, and said top portion having a downwardly and inwardly extending lip and being adapted to cover the bottom lip.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chair and cushion having the slip cover of this invention thereon;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the fiat patterns for the slip cover;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the slip cover elements partially assembled;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view, partially in phantom and partially in perspective, of the pattern for the slip cover for a cushion;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cushion cover prior to the insertion of the cushion;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the cushion cover similar to FIG. 5, but with the cushion inside;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the fabric embodying this invention;

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the weave of the fabric;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the elastic thread used in the fabric;

FIG. 11 is a diagrammatic rear elevational view of the slip cover skirt illustrating the tie strings prior to their attachment;

FIG. 12 is a diagrammatic rear elevational view of the slip cover skirt illustrating two of the tie strings after attachment;

FIG. 13 is a diagrammatic rear elevational view of the slip cover illustrating the other two tie strings immediately prior to attachment;

FIG. 14 is a diagrammatic rear elevational View taken from the inside of the slip cover and illustrating all of the tie strings after attachment;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the chair of FIG. 1 taken from the rear thereof, and illustrating the slip cover of this invention after all of the tie strings have been attached;

FIG. 16 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the location of each of the tie strings with respect to the remainder of the slip cover; and

FIG. 17 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1, but showing another type of chair which may be covered by the slip cover of this invention.

My present invention may be embodied in a slip cover for any type of upholstered furniture such as club chairs, wing chairs, club sofas, sectional sofas and sofa beds.

For ease of illustration, the disclosure will be directed specifically to providing a slip cover for a club chair having a square cushion, as shown generally at 29 in 'FIG. 1.

The slip cover for this chair is shown generally at 22 in the exploded View of FIG. 3. Slip cover 22 basically comprises a rear portion 24, a back portion 26, a seat portion 28, a front portion 31} and two arm-encasing side portions 32 and 3-4.

The patterns for forming the various portions of the slip cover are shown in FIG. 2. As seen therein, the rear, back, seat, and front portions are all cut from a unitary piece of fabric.

Rear portion 24 comprises parallel sides 36, outwardly extending tabs38, tapering sides 4% and a horizontal edge 42. Extending inwardly from approximately the center of edge 42 is a diagonal out line 44. The purpose of this diagonal cut will be explained hereinafter.

Adjacent rear portion 24 and integral therewith is back portion 26. This portion includes outwardly extending tabs 46 which are adjacent parallel sides 36 of rear portion 24. Sides 48 taper slightly inward from tabs 46. Although tabs 46 are shown as being integral with the remainder of back portion 26, it is possible for ease of manufacture to cut the tabs 46 from a separate piece of fabric and subsequently stitch them to the remainder of back portion 26.

Adjacent back portion 26 and internal therewith is seat portion 28. This portion includes parallel sides 50 which extend to lower edges 52 of the back portion.

Adjacent seat portion 23 and integral therewith is front portion 36. This portion includes outwardly extending tabs 54 and horizontal edge 56. Here again tabs 54 can be cut from a separate piece of fabric and subse quently stitched to the remainder of front portion 30. In this case front portion can be formed as an extension of sides 50 of seat portion 28.

Arm-encasing side portions 32 and 34 are identical in structure, and the description of one applies equally well to the other. As seen in the pattern for side portion 34, each side portion includes upper and lower horizontal edges 61} and 62 respectively. One side includes a downwardly and outwardly extending edge 64, a substantially horizontal edge 66 extending outward from edge 64 and edge 68 extending downwardly and inwardly from edge 66 to the bottom horizontal edge 62. The other side includes a downwardly extending vertical edge 79, an inwardly extending horizontal edge 72 adjacent to edge 70 and a downwardly and outwardly extending edge 74 connecting edge 72 and horizontal bottom edge 62. It is seen that side portion 32 is partially secured to front portion 30 by stitching edge 74 to the outer edge of tab 54 along line 76.

After cutting the fabric to the pattern illustrated in FIG. 2, the three sections of the slip cover are assembled as shown in FIG. 3. The rear portion 24 and back portion 26 are formed into a back encasing shape by stitching the upper and outer edges of tab 46 to the sides 36 along lines 78. The side portions 32 and 34 are formed-into an arm encasing shape by stitching edges 76 and 72 to edge 74 along line 80. The slip cover is completed by securing each side portion 32 and 34 to the main body of the slip cover. This is accomplished by stitching edge 74 to the outer edge of tab 54, edge 69 to the upper edge of tab 54, the remainder of edge 6%} to side 50, edge 64 to side 48, edge 66 to the lower edge of tab 46 and edge 68 to side 46 and tab 3 3. These various connections are shown by appropriate arrows in FIG. 3. The connections explained with respect to side portion 32 are identical for side portion 34.

The pattern for the cushion slip cover is illustrated in FIG. 4. The cushion cover basically comprises a top portion 9:1, a side portion 92 and bottom portion 94. Top portion 96 comprises parallel sides 96, outwardly extending tabs 98 and an upwardly extending tab 101). Each tab 93 includes a horizontal edge 162, an upwardly and outwardly extending ed e 104, and an inwardly and upwardly extending edge 106. Tab 190 includes an upper horizontal edge 168 and downwardly and outwardly extending side edges 11% which join with edges 166.

Bottom portion 94 is identical in shape to upper portion 96 and includes parallel sides 112, outwardly extending tabs 114 and downwardly extending tab 116. Each tab 114 includes edges 11-8, 126 and 122 which correspond to edges 162, 1114 and 1116 respectively of tabs 98. Downwardly extending tab 116 includes horizontal edge 124 and side edges 126. For the purpose of clarity, the various elements of the tabs have been indicated on the portions which are in phantom in FIG. 4.

Side portion 92 is rectangular in shape and includes upper edge 130, lower edge 132 and side edges 134.

The assembly of the cushion is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. Side portion 92 is secured to upper portion 99 by stitching along the line 136 which connects edge 131 of the side portion to the lower edge of the top portion. Bottom portion 94 is similarly secured to side portion 92 by stitching along line 138. As seen in FIG. 4, bottom portion 94 is formed into a cushion-encasing'shape by stitching edges 126 to edges 122 along lines 140. Likewise edges 110 are stitched to edges 166 along lines 142 in upper portion 90. Side portion 92 is then bent into the shape shown in FIG. 5 and stitched at its upper edge 130. to sides 96 of upper portion 96 along line 144. Likewise lower edge 132 of side portion 92 is stitched to sides 112 along lines 146. If desired, piping 148 may be included in all of the seams to provide a decorative effect. Edges 118 of tabs 114 are then stitched to edges 134 along lines 151 Edges 102 are then stitched to edges 154 along lines 152. As seen in FIG. 5, stitched lines 152 slightly overlap stitched lines 158.

The cushion is covered by inserting it in the opening between upper portion and lower portion 94, as seen in FIG. 5. Tab 116 is then wrapped around the rear face of the cushion to completely encase it. The covering is completed by overlapping tabs 114 and 116 with tabs 98 and of the upper portion. It should be noted that due to the angularity of edges 110, 1116, 122 and 126 the tabs will all face inwardly when stitched along these edges. This insures a secure fit over the rear edge of the cushion, as seen in FIG. 6.

In FIG. 7 a cushion 169 is shown in its completely covered condition. Note that tabs 116 and completely encase the rear edge of the cushion. Note also that tabs 10% and 116 are hemmed at 162 and 164, respectively.

The fabric from which my slip cover is made is shown generally at in FIG. 9. This fabric is woven and comprises a plurality of strands of relatively non-elastic yarn 172 interwoven with a minor portion of elastic material 174. As seen in FIG. 10, the elastic material comprises a core 176 such as synthetic or natural rubber. This core isa strandwhich is either exuded 101 spun from the rubber material and is substantially round in cross section. The core 176 is covered with a winding 178 of a relatively non-elastic textile material, which is usually the same material with which the elastic material is woven.

The non-elastic yarn can be. cotton, nylon, rayon, or a polyester, such as Dacron polyester. Cotton is. preferred because of its relatively inexpensive cost. A preferred fabric comprises 94% cotton strands and 6% elastic yarn. Thus, there will be approximately one strand of elastic yarn for every 16 strands of non-elastic yarn. Although slight deviations in the relative percentages of the elastic to non-elastic yarn can be made, a 94% to 6% ratio has been found to givethe best results; Thus, when too large an amount of elastic yarnis present, the fabric becomes extremely hard as with a rubber band. When too little elastic yarn is present, the fabric will not fit snugly on the furniture beingcovered andthuswill not retain its wrinkle-proof quality,

The fabric is.woven" with the elastic strands in a stretched condition. Thus, when the fabricis taken from the loom and the elastic strands are released; the fabric will pucker, as illustrated at 180 in FIG. 8; This puckering condition iscaused .by the contractionof the elastic strands-whilethe non-elastic strands cannot contract.

Inone specific embodiment of the fabric, I provide 94% cotton yarn and 6% elastic strands wrapped with cotton yarn. The wrapping can vary between-45 and 75 turns per inch. Thefabric has a finalpercentage stretch of 35% in the warp and 775% in the filling; The shrinkage in laundering at 100 F. is 25% in the warp and '5 in the filling. The' fabric-has good color fastness and may be printed when in a stretched condition.

Using the above specified'fabric, the furniture slip coversof this-inventionprovide many distinct advantages. Since the fabric can, be made to have a controlled amount of stretchingin either direct-ion, a single slip cover can be used to cover any one"of many upholstered pieces of furniture snugly. For instance, one slip cover has been found tobe able to cover over'thirtyditferer'it styles of square cushioned .club chairs. The fabricis never usedin. its fully. stretchedcondition when used as a cover. Even assuming this limit were reached, it would still become apparentzthat.thewovenxfabric would be relatively non-porous since in this condition the fabric would substantially appear as a normal woven non-elastic fabric. This provides a distinct advantage over a highly stretched knitted fabric.

Since the elastic yarn will cause the slip cover to cling securely to any given article of furniture, there is no need for ironing these slip covers after washing.

The fabric is cut while in its relaxed condition shown in FIG. 8. As a general rule the fabric should be cut to allow for about 60% expansion in the length throughout the slip cover.

Due to the highly elastic nature of the slip cover, it can be manufactured in one piece and requires no subsequent stitching or hooking to hold it in place. It has also been found that a skirt 200 (FIG. 1) can be permanently stitched to the lower peripheral edges of the unitary slip cover. Thus, the skirt 200 is stitched to edge 42 of the rear portion 24, edges 62 of the side portions 32, 34 and edge 54 of the front portion 30. The skirt 200 is unitary in structure except for an opening adjacent cut 44 in rear portion 24 (FIG. 11). At this opening skirt 200 defines a left flap 202 and a right flap 204. Piping 206 (FIG. 1) may be added along the stitch line of the skirt if desired.

The skirt can be made of any fabric. However, it is preferably made from a non-elastic woven cotton cloth. Since the skirt is not elastic it is applied to the lower peripheral edge of the slip cover by stretching the lower edge prior to stitching the skirt thereto. Thus, the skirt will appear pleated when the slip cover is in its relaxed condition. However, by previously stretching the lower edge, the skirt will accommodate any size chair that can be accommodated by the slip cover. The amount of pleats remaining in the skirt after the slip cover is placed on a chair will depend on the amount of stretching required to apply the slip cover.

As seen in P16. 11, left flap 202 has tapes 206 and 208 stitched thereto. Similarly, right flap has t-apes 210 and 212 stitched thereto. These tapes can be made of any fabric, such as woven cotton. In FIG. 16 a diagrammatic view of a chair 214 is shown having a schematic skirt identical in structure to skirt 200. The purpose of FIG. 16 is to'show the exact locationiof the tapes with respect" to the remainder ofthe slip covers. Thus; as seen in FIG. 16; tape206 is secured -approximatelymidway back on one arm'p'ortion of the chair; Likewise, tape 212'is secured midwaybacki on the other-arm por tion'. Tapes 208" and.210 are' secu rcd'to the outeredges of'left'a'nd right flaps 202-and 204, respectively;

Left nap-202 is' also provided with'a plurality ofslo'ts 220, 222ar'1d224 along thestitch'line'connectingthefiap to rear portion 202. These slots "are also shown in the diagfammatic View in FIG. 16'.

The chair'sh'own in-FIG. 1 is covered by first removing the cushion. The back of the chair is then covered by slidingre'ar portion 24 and back' portion '26'over'it. The arms of the chair are then covered by stretohingside'pdr tions 32 and 34'over'the respective arms. The front portion 30 -is then aligned in its proper place and the various seamsv are straightened out;

The securing of the skirt in place is'illustrated in FIGS ll to 15. The first step-requires pullingtapes 208'and 2'l2'ftight so as to. givea'smooth appearance for the'cov'er andisubsequentlyty-ingtliem as at 226! Tape 210'is then insertedthrough one of theslots 220-, 222 or 224 dependingonthe size of the chairb'einglcovered. Tapes2I0 and 205 are then pulled tightiandsecured by asuitable knot, as at 228 It should again be pointed outthat FIG. 14 is theviewas seen when looking from the inside out onthe slip cover. As seen in:FIG. 15, when the securing is complete, all ofv the tapes willvirtually dis appear and the skirt will give a smoothandneat appearance. The tightening of the tapes will cause the skirt to closely'abut the legs of the chair, and'thus snugly fit the-bottom of the'chair. A e I p The purpose of diagonal cut 44 should now be apparent. This cut permits the overlappingof flap 204 on flap 202 and thus permits the insertion of tape '2'10'in any one of the three slots which are provided. Without the cut 44, this overlapping could not be accomplished while retaining a smooth appearance for the cover.

The inner surfaces of the slip cover are held securely in place by the use of tubes 230 (FIG. 1). These tubes are placed on top of the slip cover and forced into the folds between the arms of the chair and the seat of the chair, and the back of the chair and the seat of the chair. The retainer tubes 230 are sufficiently bulky in cross section to prevent their accidental withdrawal on the normal pull on the back or side portions. The cushion of the chair is then covered in the manner described above and replaced on the chair.

Although this invention has been described with respect to providing a cover for one specific chair, it should be remembered that other chairs of the general type club chair with a square cushion can be covered by the slip cover disclosed. Thus, this same cover could be used on chair 240 shown in FIG. 17. Likewise, by judiciously cutting the patterns, the teachings of this invention can be used in providing slip covers for T- cushioned club chairs, club sofas and other forms of upholstered furniture.

It is thus seen that I have provided a slip cover which is unitary in structure and will fit any ntunber of a particular type of upholstered furniture. The slip cover of my invention requires no metal parts for keeping it in place and requires no stitching subsequent to its application.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed as the invention is:

l. A furniture slip cover comprising a rear portion, a back portion, arm portions and a seat portion with a skirt secured to the lower perimeter of said slip cover,

said skirt having two ends thereof separated in the rear portion of said slip cover, a first pair of tapes secured to said skirt along the junction of said slip cover and said skirt, said first pair of tapes being located on the interior surface on the arm portions of said slip cover, and a second pair of tapes being secured to the junction of said skirt and the rear portion of said slip cover adjacent the open ends of said skirt, said skirt having a plurality of openings along the junction line of said skirt-and said rear portion of said slip cover whereby the fit of the slip cover can be adjusted by appropriate tying of said tapes to provide a smooth, wrinkle-free appearance.

2. The slip cover of claim 1 and including a diagonal cut in the rear portion adjacent said open ends of said skirt. 1

3. A slip cover adapted to fit many sizes and shapes of upholstered furniture comprising a rear portion, a back portion, arm portions and a seat portion, said slip cover being made from a woven fabric comprising a major portion of non-elastic yarn and a minor portion of elastic thread wrapped with a non-elastic yarn woven throughout said non-elastic yarn in both the warp and filling in order to allow said slip cover to stretch a minimum of approximately 35% in both directions, said fabric having been woven with said wrapped elastic thread in a stretched condition whereby said non-elastic yarn forms contracted areas in the slip cover caused by the contraction of said elastic thread, and said wrapped elastic thread is present in an amount small enough to render said slip cover sufiiciently soft and flexible to be applied to various sizes and shapes of upholstered furniture, but in an amount large enough to cause said slip cover to fit snugly on the furniture being covered.

4. The slip cover of claim 3 wherein the wrapped non elastic yarn is the same material as the yarn with which it is interwoven.

5. A furniture slip cover comprising 'a rear portion, a back portion, arm portions and a seat portion, said slip cover being made from a woven fabric comprising a major portion of non-elastic yarn and a minor portion of elastic thread wrapped with a non-elastic yarn, and including a skirt secured to the lower perimeter of said slip cover, said skirt having two ends thereof separated in the rear portion of said slip cover, a first pair of tapes secured to said skirt along the junction of said slip cover and said skirt, said first pair of tapes being located on the interior surface of the arm portions of said slip cover, and a second pair of tapes being secured to the junction of said skirt and the rear portion of said slip cover adjacent the open ends of said skirt, said skirt having a plurality of openings along the junction line of said skirt and said rear portion of said slip cover whereby the fit of the slip cover can be adjusted by appropriate tying of said tapes to provide a smooth, wrinkle-free appearance.

6. The slip cover of claim 5 wherein said rear portion contains a diagonal cut adjacent the two open ends of the skirt.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,103,133 Adamson Dec. 21, 1937 2,446,396 Waranch Aug. 3, 1948 2,597,580 Gluck May 20, 1952 2,734,558 Waranch Feb. 14, 1956 2,839,127 Schutte June 17, 1958 2,871,924 Trubitt Feb. 3, 1959 2,921,625 Krasnov et al Jan. 19, 1960 3,032,072 Weiner et al May I, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 521,124 Great Britain May 13, 1940 

1. A FURNITURE SLIP COVER COMPRISING A REAR PORTION, A BACK PORTION, ARM PORTIONS AND A SEAT PORTION WITH A SKIRT SECURED TO THE LOWER PERIMETER OF SAID SLIP COVER, SAID SKIRT HAVING TWO ENDS THEREOF SEPARATED IN THE REAR PORTION OF SAID SLIP COVER, A FIRST PAIR OF TAPES SECURED TO SAID SKIRT ALONG THE JUNCTION OF SAID SLIP COVER AND SAID SKIRT, SAID FIRST PAIR OF TAPES BEING LOCATED ON THE INTERIOR SURFACE ON THE ARM PORTIONS OF SAID SLIP COVER, AND A SECOND PAIR OF TAPES BEING SECURED TO THE JUNCTION OF SAID SKIRT AND THE REAR PORTION OF SAID SLIP COVER ADJACENT THE OPEN ENDS OF SAID SKIRT, SAID SKIRT HAVING A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS ALONG THE JUNCTION LINE OF SAID SKIRT AND SAID REAR PORTION OF SAID SLIP COVER WHEREBY THE FIT OF THE SLIP COVER CAN BE ADJUSTED BY APPROPRIATE TYING OF SAID TAPES TO PROVIDE A SMOOTH, WRINKLE-FREE APPEARANCE. 